Must Tolerate Dogs
by smollsmols
Summary: <html><head></head>[AU] Fenris and Hawke's first meeting gets a little hairy.</html>


The apartment was not in the best repair, but as it was the cheapest one available in the complex, it was all he could afford. The landlord had been quite eager to rent it to him, which, in retrospect should have given him pause. But the landlord had had not even mentioned the man's tattoos once, which surprised the man. He was so used to always being gawked at by strangers, but the landlord had only accepted his payment and handed him the key.

So the man had chosen to overlook the landlord's eagerness. But as he stepped through the door – that he had had to bodily shove open because of a broken hinge – he was sure he had rented a construction zone and not an apartment.

He kicked at the broken tiles that littered the floor and sighed at the cobwebs that filled every corner. The place really was a mess. Not that he really minded the mess, he had lived in worse conditions and, to be honest, he was content to just have a mostly solid roof over his head.

During the day, the man would work odd jobs around the city. At night, he would spend his time in his little apartment. Every week the thought would cross his mind to clean it up some, in case anyone would come by to visit. The thought was quickly dismissed, however, since he made no effort to make friends or had any desire to ingratiate himself with his various neighbors.

He knew very little of his neighbors, and that suited him just fine. All he really knew was that at least one of them kept a dog; he would often hear it barking at odd hours. He wondered if it belonged to the person he would hear coming and going at all hours of the night.

Returning from the store one day with arms full of groceries, the man heard a low growl from the other end of the hall. He turned just in time to be hit with a solid mass of fur and muscle sending both he and his bags flying. As he hit the ground, he heard a woman's voice cry out accompanied by hurried footsteps.

"Venhedis! Get off of me, beast!" snarled the man as he tried to shove the massive creature. His demands only earned him a wet and slobbery tongue across the face.

Then the woman was there in moments, pulling the dog away by its collar. "Oh maker! I'm sorry! My dog usually doesn't jump up on people like this, I swear!" she apologized as she tied its leash to a doorknob he assumed was her own.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she walked back to where he was sitting still on the floor, offering her hand to help him up.

There was an odd tone in her voice and when he looked up at her he saw she was smiling. He scowled. "I am fine. But that beast is a menace" At that she burst out laughing and grabbed his wrist, hoisting him to his feet.

"Who, Bryn? She wouldn't hurt a fly if it came up and bit her in the ass. She just likes you." she said breathlessly, wiping tears from her eyes and extending her hand once again, "Anyhow, I'm Hawke."

The man accepted her hand with a huff, slightly off put by her easy charm. "I am Fenris." He finally replied.

"Well, Fenris," Hawke said with a smile as she bent to pick one of the fallen bags, "what do you say we pick up this mess. I don't know how strong that leash is and we wouldn't want Bryn getting into your cheeses."

Fenris could not help but smile back, if only for a moment. Her humor was infectious. "No, we would not."

They made short work of the scattered groceries and soon his purchases were once again in their bags and returned to his arms. Fenris had politely refused Hawke's assistance to help carry them inside – he did not wish her to see the squalor in which he lived – but she had not seemed to mind.

"It was nice meeting you, Fenris. Maybe we'll see you around sometime." Hawke said as she untied the dog's leash and began walking towards the far end of the hall.

Fenris shook his head. So the door had not been her own, why did that not surprise him. He called out his thanks and Hawke replied with a wave of her hand over her shoulder. But as he opened his door, she paused and turned.

"You know, Fenris, I really should let Bryn off her leash more often," Hawke said, looking him up and down with a grin that could only be described as mischievous. "She always finds me the most interesting people."


End file.
